Labyrinth Lost

This book was a good, fast read that I had trouble putting down. There were a few things about it that I didn't love, and it might just be me being super picky. I had trouble deciding 3 vs 4 stars...ended up going with 4 because the book really did intrigue me and yes, I will probably read the next on in the series.
Things I loved:
-the fresh look on a new magic scene, the bruja/brujo culture is really awesome and I want to know more about it!
-The family dynamic, the really amazing use of family as being a part of you, a source of strength- even if Alex couldn't see it at first.
-the cover is gorgeous
-the whole idea of the story is really neat, and very original.

Things I didn't love:
-the flippin' love triangle- though really, it wasn't a huge part of the book so I guess not TOO bad.
-I want more character development. My favorite books are ones where I become emotionally attached to the characters. I just felt like I either didn't know anyone well enough, or couldn't relate enough to anyone for that to happen.
-Maybe the book could have been a little longer, in order to flesh out some of the many characters, or go into a little more detail regarding the world.

I don't want to spoil anything so I won't delve too much deeper. It's definitely a book I'd recommend to others, because I did enjoy it. I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would.

Such and entertaining read. I loved the world building and Alex's family and their dynamic. Seeing the family and how they interact with each other and how close they are reminded me a lot about my family especially when they got together to celebrate. I wish there was more Rishi and Alex before we went on full magic adventure or at least there was more background story given throughout the book as I didn't feel too connectedto their relationship. I will definitely read the sequel, I hope it has more of Alex's family as I felt that was the strongest and most interesting part of the book.

3.5 stars I really wanted this to be amazing because 1) witches, 2) LGBTQ+ rep, but I think my expectations were a little too high. I felt like the dialogues were a little bit awkward at times and the pacing was slow. I did like Rishi's character and the ending left me wanting to read the second one, so that's pretty good.

Absolutely love this!

And I am so glad it's part of a series. :-) I really want to read more about these witches.
Yes, there are witches and magic presented in positive light, and even though I am 100% Finn and know nothing (much) about the Latin/Hispanic/Meso-American/Caribbean mythology, this sounds and feels real, and I suppose Zoraida Cordova does know :-)

3.5/5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't at all sure what to expect - it seemed like it was trying really hard to do a lot of things. Cultural diversity, magic, a new underworld, bisexuality...it's a lot to blend into one story. Zoraida Cordova actually manages to do it quite well!

Alex is a bruja who doesn't want the exceptional power she's been granted. In the beginning she struck me as a whiny, ungrateful little brat. I can understand her resentment and not being entirely free to choose her own path, but her attempt at rejecting her power puts her entire family in danger - albeit unintentionally.



However, she immediately sets off to rescue them and is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost. So, props to her for that. She loves her family with an intensity beyond anything else, even if they don't always see eye to eye or get along. She's incredibly stubborn, to the point of insisting that complete strangers help her on her quest.



It got bogged down a little over 1/3 of the way through. When the setting shifted to Los Lagos (the underworld, essentially), it floundered somewhat. Especially with the arrival of certain characters - like, really? Rishi? Where did that come from? How did she get her fake wings? How did she know to bring them, if she brought them with her? I feel like Madre didn't give them to her. I'm still vaguely suspicious of the way her arrival was "explained." I honestly thought she was one of the bird-women for awhile. Guess the fake wings should have ruled that out but it was just so abrupt and essentially unexplained. Rishi's quick, unquestioning acceptance of Alex's magic and all it entails really bothered me too. No muggle (sorry) is going to just unblinkingly accept an entirely new world and the ability to conjure fire, no matter how much in love with the bruja you are. However, after several chapters where I struggled, it picked back up and carried on and was much clearer. I think maybe a little more description would have benefited the story.

“It's love, Alex. Love is you jumping through a portal despite your own safety. Love is mom singing in the car and Rose making tea when we're sick and even us fighting because we're blood, and no matter what you do, I'll never forget that you are my sister.”

I do not give five stars lightly. But, Dude. This one is wow, even more so when I read the author's notes in the back- Cordova created this entire world-the religion, the rituals, the mythology etc. Holy crap, it's awesome.

I am always left with how the book made me feel and my brain trying to compare it to something I have already read. Here goes. It's an adventure story of the highest order with a story so believable that you live there too. What it consistently reminded me of was The Wizard of Oz and I mean this as the highest compliment. I think it was the wonder of the setting and the creatures and heroes fighting a really big bad that is actually big and bad. Alex, in fact, had more on the line than Dorothy.
Labyrinth Lost is awesome. I'm already plotting a Deathday craft program for the library teens in my head.

Sequel please.

Read Harder: Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey.

2.5 stars. This book was unlike anything I've read before. And it was exactly like a million things I've read before.

Alex, a plain, ordinary girl (witch/bruja) who worships her pretty, perfect older sister (healer bruja) learns she is The Chosen One (encantrix/super special bruja with all the powers) and then does something dumb to screw it up (tries to get rid of her powers because she wants to be normal, and accidentally makes her family disappear into a different dimension called Los Lagos) and has to go on an epic journey to make things right (save her family that is stuck in a magic Soul Tree in Los Lagos) and has to battle a super powerful force (the Devourer) and win even though she's a beginner at whatever makes her special (magic) and doesn't want this responsibility.

Also it started out with a map, and that was the first sign I wasn't going to love it.

There were snippets of pages from Alex's family's book of spells at the beginning of each chapter. There were usually only two or three lines each time; I kind of wish those had either been used more sparingly or fleshed out more. Either would have been fine, but as it was, it felt kind of like a tease. Also ... and I feel like this is a really petty complaint (just call me Tom Petty), but the gods' names were too ... easy. Generic? I don't know. I have a decent grasp of Spanish, and when the gods are all named things like El Corazon (The Heart), El Cielo (The Heaven) and El Guardia (The Guard) – I'll leave La Mama and El Papa out of this – it felt lazy in a way I know the author is not, because obviously building this world was an undertaking (even if it's laid on a foundation of a story we've all heard before).

OK, I'm done complaining. Believe it or not, there were things I liked too! I liked reading about Alex's family and their heritage and how magic was incorporated into their history. I liked Alex's relationship with her sisters. I liked how vividly some of the locations in Los Lagos were painted, particularly the Meadow del Sol. I liked her relationship with Rishi and Nova's backstory and how they traveled with her (even though Rishi wasn't magic). It was a fast read in a genre that I don't usually like, and so I'm probably not the best reviewer, but whatever.